The Enemy Within

Fear and Loathing in the Empire

Spiders, Cultists and Demons, Oh My!

Barrick and Reiner checked the window of the common room for signs of Garrett but it was too dark to see. Thyrann was dozing on the bed in a useless state.

They realised they could open the window, step onto the roof and hop down into an alley. After some persuasion, Thyrann started to wake up – he was still useless though.

Barrick followed Reiner out the window and safely slid down to the alley to the ground.
[In an alternate reality Thyrann attempted to push Barrick out of the window and down the ground…not quite sure what happened there…]

Thyrann followed them down, and so the brown trousers time began. Reiner bravely led the way, awesome that he was, while Barrick stayed safely behind. Out into the courtyard properly they could see the stable was open, the door swinging in the wind. Reiner and Thyrann checked inside and saw the body. A blood trail led to the back of the stable and up a trapdoor. Garrett was on the coachhouse roof, arrow ready – but all safe and cosy. Barrick remained outside, crossbow ready.

Thyrann hung around in the stable, clearly afraid of what might be around, while the others went back outside. In the courtyard they encountered the monster. A freaky looking half man-spider thing – with a thirst for hero blood. Barrick shot at it and knocked it down from the rooftops. It fell into the alley, then ran towards the group.

But it was outmatched. Reiner and Barrick dealt blows while Garrett fired shots from the safety of the roof. Thyrann supervised. After dispatching that they could suddenly hear a strange chanting sound coming from the inn.

The gang rushed in and found trap door leading down to the cellar. On the way down Reiner was attacked on the stairs, but through skill (and luck) he managed to avoid any serious injuries. They killed the attacker and went further in.

They came across the source of the chanting – Hanz and Otto were trying to summon a demon within a circle marked on the ground. Some of the guests and staff of the inn were tied up and lay around the circle. Some of them were dead.

Hanz and Otto attacked, and Reiner and Barrick held the front line while Garrett fired arrows from the safety of behind them…as usual. Thyrann…was probably filing his nails or something.

Having dispatched both Hanz and Otto, the party approached the circle. In the centre was a strange statue – it was shifting colours, warping before their eyes. They removed the hostages from the ‘temple’ and Reiner, who despises the powers of chaos more than most, decided that the temple could not be left intact.

Afraid to enter the circle, Reiner and Barrick tried to use a rope to knock the statue over. Bad idea. Very bad…it broke and from it sprang a demon! A foul monster of awfulness so awful, that its awfulness could only be described as awful.

As Reiner dispatched the beast, it split, and changed colour. What was one, became two smaller demons. As Barrick felt a warm trickle down his leg, Reiner and Garrett (from the safety of the stairs) took down both creatures, and then killed the four more than sprang from their corpses. Barrick might have come too at some point, but no one seems to recall.

Eventually they were all dead. During all this, Thyrann was looting bodies – a noble pursuit.

They recovered a chest from the temple. Reiner ‘Demon Slayer’ Wolfcastle rose triumphant from the cellar as the rest helped with the victims. Some were alive. One of the bodies resembled the ghost they encountered in the graveyard. He was killed by Hanz, and Hanz was wearing his attire and armour. The ghost appeared and thanked each member (except Thyrann) for saving his soul. As a reward the ghost told the party that they could call on him three times for help. Yohan Gurst was his name.

They decided it best to let the ghost rest properly, so they wanted to bury the body and its belongings. Garrett however, no stranger to picking the dead, wanted the armour belonging to Yohan – after much debate about not angering Morr etc. Garrett eventually (and reluctantly) agreed to leave the armour alone. Thus began the Legend of Garrett ‘Armour of Morr Safe-Shot’ Desche.

Pleased with the the success of their encounter with the ruinous powers, they gave the victims their gold back from the chest. Thyrann, who had searched the body of Hanz while the rest fought bravely against the evil demon, had found a black ring on the body. Though no one seems to remember what happened to that…I think Reiner smashed it!